John ekhaet



(No Model.)

vJ. EKHART.

APPA1 M 1JSA POR SEWING GARPBTS.

"mm atout N. versus. Pnawnuwmher, wmngnm u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

TWO-THIRDS TO ALBERT F. CHILDS SAME PLACE.

AND JOSEPH It. EDSON, BOTH OF APPARATUS -FOR SEWING CARPETS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 374,145, dated NovemberV29, 1887.

Application filed May f2-l, 1887. Serial No. 239,236.

.To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN EKHART, a citizen of the United States,residing at TfY/'ashingtom in the District of Columbia, have inventedeertain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Sewing Carpets; andI do declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to 1o make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters and gures of reference markedthereon,which form a part of this specification.

Heretofore in the art of sewing carpets by machinery it has beenimpracticable to maintain the edge of an ingrain carpet in a right linewhen it is suspended above the iloor, owing to the fact that it cannotbe put under suf- 'cient tension or strain, as is the case with 2oBrussels and other carpets, without tearing through the selvage edgethereof.

The object of my invention is to provide means whereby thesewing-machine can be readily moved by the operator, either in straightor curved lines, to higher or lower planes, whereby the machine can beeasily guided to closely follow the line of the seam, which in ingraincarpets does not lie in aright line, owing to the sagging of the carpethe- 3o tween the points of suspension.

My invention consists in the peculiar conibination of devices and novelconstruction and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter fullydescribed, and particularly pointed out 3 5 in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a machine for sewingcarpets embodying my invention, Figure l is an elevation showing acarpet suspended in position for the machine to operate thereon. Figs. 2and 3 are detached enlarged views of -two forms of the carpet-suspendingclamps for the horizontal and vertical edges of the carpet. Fig. 4 is adetached View of the yielding or elastic support from which thesewing-machine is suspended.

Referring to the drawings, in which likeletters of reference denotecorresponding parts in all the figures, A A designate suitable up- (Nomodel.)

rights or posts erected at suitable intervals`5o apart, and B a fixedhorizontal track or way arranged between the uprights and supportedthereby. This track is preferably in the form ota wire of sufficientstrength to support the sewing-machine proper, and one end of the wireis secu red to one upright in any preferred manner, while the oppositeend is connected to a hook', B', the shank of which is threaded andpassed through a horizontal aperture in the other post. A nut, b, isscrewed on this 6o thread ed shank of the hook, so that any slack in thewire can be easily or readily taken up and the wire track thusmaintained under the proper degree of tension, and a washer, b', isinterposed between the nut and the upright, as shown very clearly inFig. l.

To the vertical end edges of the carpet, near the upper horizontal edgethereof', are detachably-connected horizontal clamps C C', which arepreferably of the form shown in 7o Fig. 3, and have the pivoted jaws cconnected at one end by intermediate toggle-levers, c', to which leversat the points where they are pivoted together is connected a cord, c2.

The cord or other equivalent device of one of the horizontal clamps, C,is connected to one of the fixed uprights or posts, and the cord of theother corresponding clamp is wound around a windlass, l), which isjournaled in a suitable frame or support, D, that is fixed to 8o theother upright or post, A', in any prefer able manner. This windlass isrotated on its axis to wind up the cord of the clamp C by a suitablecrank, D2, and it is prevented from retrograde motion by apawl-andratchet mech- 8 5 anism, d', of any preferred pattern. By meansof these clamps and the windlass the carpet is -stretched until theproper degree of tension `is attained, and to the upper horizontal edgeof the carpet is connected two, three, or more 9o vertical clamps, E,which are arranged at intermediate points ofthe length of the carpet,

to prevent it from sagging at the middle and to relieve the end clampsof the entire weight of the carpet. These vert-ical clamps are prefg 5erably of the pattern shown in Fig. 2, and comprise the elasticexpansible jaws e, over which slides a clamping-sleeve, e', which forcesthe free ends of the jaws upon the carpet. If preferred, one of the jawsof each clamp may have a pin or tooth, which is adapted to take into thecarpet and into an opening or aperture formed in the opposite jaw oftheclamp. These vertical clamps are suspended from the. ceiling of the roomor apartment by means of cords E, as shown.

A rigid traveling carriage, G, is supported on the fixed horizontaltrack B, and free to travel back and forth thereon, and from thiscarriage is suspended, by an intermediate device, which I will presentlydescribe, a sewingmachine, H.

No novelty is herein claimed for the sewingmachine proper, as it formsno part of my invention, and it may be of any common pattern known tothe trade.

The rigid carriage G of my invention preferably comprises verticalbrackets g, which depend from the fixed track and are connected atpoints below the track by a horizontal bar or rod, g', and in the upperends of these brackets, at points above the track, are journaled groovedrollers or wheels g2, which rest upon the track, and thereby support thecarriage thereon. To one end of the traveling carriage, at a point belowthe track, is connected a suspended yielding or elastic support, I, forthe sewing-machine H. The support I shown in the present instance iscomposed of an elastic strap or webbing, which is doubled or folded oneor more times upon itself to insure sufficient strength thereto tosupport the entire weight of the machine and its yielding support, andas the weight of the machine is borne by the traveling carriage theoperator is free to devote his attention exclusively to guiding themachine, and is thus enabled to more closely follow the seam and securebetter results, and at much less exertion and effort, it only beingnecessary to force the machine along, which requires but a minimumeffort on his part, as the carriage moves freely and without hinderanceon the horizontal fixed track. A limiting-cord, J, is connected at oneend to the carriage and at the opposite end to the sewing-machine, toprevent the latter from swinging horizontally when it is drawn forwardby the handle It, connected thereto.

One of the outer layers of the iiexible strap or webbing which forms theyielding support I is provided with a buckle, k, by means of which thesupport is rendered extensible, to suspend the sewing-machine H atdifferent heights, and 'thereby accommodate carpets of different widths.

The operation of my invention will be readily seen from the foregoingdescription taken in connection with the drawings.

The abutting edges of the two strips of carpet to be sewed are placedtogether and the carpet is connected to the horizontal clamps, thewindlass rotated to stretch the carpet to the desired extent, and thevertical clamps are connected to the upper horizontal edge of the carpetat intermediate points of the length of I would state that while I deemthe mechauism and devices herein shown and described as best adapted forcarrying my invention into effect, still I do not desire to confinemyself to the exact details of construction and formand proportion ofparts, as I am aware that nu merous changes can be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages of my invention.

Freni the foregoing description it will be observed that my inventioncan be used with equal facility in sewing Brussels as well as ingraincarpets.

I am aware that prior to my invention carpets have been suspended in astretched taut condition, and that traveling sewing-machines have beenrun upon the edge of the carpet to sew the same, or upon a fixed trackarranged in juxtaposition to the carpet to sew the edge thereof. Myinvention is distinguished from prior devices of this character wherethe sewing-machine travels in a horizontal line upon the edge of thecarpet or a fixed track, in that itis mounted or carried by a yieldingsupport, which enables the machine to be moved or adjusted in verticalplanes any desired distance above or below the horizontal plane in whichit is maintained by its support,whereby the machine is placed morecompletely under the control of the attendant or operator, who isenabled to more closely and perfectly follow the seam without beingencumbered by the weight ofthe machine.

It being broadly new to yieldingly support a sewing-machine, to adaptthe same to move freely in vertical planes under the guidance of theattendant, I do not desire to confine myself to the particularconstruction of the yielding elastic suspension device herein shown anddescribed, as I am aware that the same result can be attained, although,perhaps, in an imperfect manner, by providing the traveling carriagewith pulleys, over which a cord passes, one end of the cord beingweighted and the other end connected to the sewingmachine, as will bereadily understood.

No claim is herein made to, first, the combination of the end clamps,means connected to one of the end clamps for drawing the same away fromthe other clamp, one or more intermediate clamps, a track, a carriagetraveling thereon, and a sewing-machine suspended from the carriage;7nor, second, the combination of the fixed uprights, a support fixed toone of the uprights and having a windlass, the end clamps connected tothe windlass and one of ICO the uprights, one or more suspendedintermediate clamps, a horizontal track arranged above the end clampsand fixed to the uprights, a carriage traveling upon the track,and asewingmachine suspended from the carriage,77 nor, third, thecombination, with a carriage and a sewing-machine, of a yieiding supportfor norinally maintaining the sewing-machine at a desired elevation andto eXert an upward force against a downwardpull of the operator as heguides the machine in sewing, nor, fourth, the combination of atraveling carriage supported on a suitable track, a yielding suspendingdevice adapted to carry a sewing-machine, and a device, as J, forlimiting the lateral movement ofthe suspending device;77 nor, fifth, thecombination of the track B, a traveling carriage, G, and a yieldingvsewing-machine sup port, I, all combined and arranged to operate,77 asthe same forms the subject-matter of another application iiledby meOctober 5, 1887 Serial No. 251,535.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In an apparatus for sewing carpets, the combination of a travelingcarriage supported on a suitable track, a sewing-machine, ayieldingsupport connected to the carriage and sewing-machine, and devices forsupporting the fabric to be operated upon by the sewingmachine, as andfor the purpose described.

2. In an apparatus for sewing carpets, the combination of a travelingcarriage supported on a suitable track, a sewingmachine, alongitudinally-extensible yielding support connected to the carriage andthe sewing machine, and devices for supporting the fabric to be operatedupon by said machine, as and for the purpose described.

3. In an apparatus for sewing carpets, the

combination of a fixed horizontal track, a traveling carriage supportedthereon, a sewing machine, a support connected to the sewingmachine andcarriage, consisting of an elastic strap folded upon itself and havingmeans whereby it can be extended longitudinally, and devices forsupporting the fabric to be operated upon by the sewing-machine, as andfor the purpose described.

4. In an apparatus for sewing carpets, the combination of a travelingcarriage supported on a suitable track, a sewing-machine sus pended fromthe carriage, a device, as J, con* nected to the carriage and thesewing-machine to prevent the latter from swinging too far forward, anddevices for supporting the fabric to be operated upon by thesewingmachine, as and for the purpose described.

5. The combination of a traveling carriage, a yielding support connectedthereto, a sewing-machine suspended from the support, a limiting cordintermediate the carriage and sewing-machine, and devices for supportingthe fabric which is to be operated upon by said machine, substantiallyas described, for the purpose set forth.

6. A carriage having the brackets, the rollers journaled therein, and ahorizontal bar connecting the brackets at points below the track, incombination with a track on which the rollers travel, a sewing-machinesuspended from the carriage, and devices for supporting the fabric whichis to be operated upon by said machine, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses..

JOHN EKHART.

Vitnesses:

H. F. BERNHARD, J os. R. EDsoN.

